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Nipsey Hussle, whose real name is Ermias Asghedom, was shot and killed on Sunday, March 31. The shooting occurred in the Hyde Park area of Los Angeles, outside of his clothing store, Marathon Clothing. He was just 33 years old.
Asghedom is American, but both of his parents are of African descent. His dad is from Eritrea, a country located on the Red Sea coast and his mom is also African American.
Here’s what you need to know:
He Visited Eritrea & Talked About the Experience
Back in 2010, Nipsey Hussle sat down for a chat with Complex in which he talked about visiting his dad’s home country of Eritrea.
“It’s a country in East Africa. My mom is American, so I was raised in her household in my formative years. But as I got older, my pops tried to keep me involved with the culture by telling me the stories of the conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea, how he came to America, and about our family back home, because all that side of my family, my aunties, grandparents, is in Africa. When I went back home in 2004, I went for three months. That was my first time in Africa at all. My first time meeting my Granny, aunties, and cousins. It was me, my brother, and my pops,” he told the outlet.
He went on to talk about the “culture shock” that he experienced.
“It was A1. At first, I experienced culture shock. The shit that we rely on day-to-day out here, your cell phone, Internet, e-mail, and your females, [laughs] and your daily movement, it’s all cut off once you get out there. It’s more about the interaction with people,” he said.
Nipsey Hussle was asked what it was like to be in a country where “gang culture” wasn’t a part of everyday life. It was definitely a different experience than what he’s used to — as Heavy previously reported, he was previously involved with the Rollin’ 60s Neighborhood Crips.
“It wasn’t as dominant. That wasn’t the culture. You had your fake little pop-up gangs, but that wasn’t the culture of that place. It was an actual conflict over land, over the border. A generational, decades-old conflict. That was more or less the culture of the young people. It was like, ‘I’mma go to war, fight, and go to the frontlines for my country.’ But it was a good experience. It put me in touch with my roots. If you don’t know your full-throttle history, the whole story of how you came to where you are, it’s kind of hard to put things together. That filled in a blank spot for me, as far as understanding myself,” he said.
His Real Name Is Ethipion
The name “Ermias” is an Ethiopian name that means “Sent by God,” according to a baby name website. Other sites suggest that the name is Arabic, but give it a similar meaning; “God Will Rise.”
The state of Eritrea borders Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast.
Nispey Hussle’s brother’s name is Samiel Asghedom. The name is Hebrew and means, “God has heard,” according to Baby Centre.
According to the World Fact Book, most people in the territory adhere to Christianity or Islam. It is unclear how Nipsey Hussle was raised.